Think from KERA

In 490 BC, Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to seek help in the Battle of Marathon, inspiring the race that millions of runners attempt each year. This hour, we’ll talk with ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes, who traced Pheidippides’ 153-mile path using only the comforts available during the original run. He writes about the experience in “The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run that Inspired the World’s Greatest Footrace” (Rodale).

Eighty percent of African Americans lean toward the Democratic Party according to the Pew Research Center. This hour, we’ll talk about the 10 percent who say they lean Republican – and about how they reconcile black identity with conservative principles. We’ll be joined by Corey D. Fields of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford, who writes about the topic in “Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans” (University of California Press).

People in need of a heart or lung transplant are forced to wait until a potential donor organ is found. Researchers are hard at work, though, developing an alternative. This hour, we’ll talk about the possibility of growing replacement human organs inside cows, pigs and other animals – and we’ll talk about the ethics of the practice – the subject of a story in the November issue of Scientific American. We’ll be joined by Christine Gorman, the magazine’s senior editor for health, human biology and medicine.

On average, people check their e-mail 11 times an hour. And all of that time spent in our inboxes is eating up our productivity. This hour, we’ll talk about how we can tame our e-mail habits with Jocelyn K. Glei, who writes about the topic in “Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions and Get Real Work Done” (PublicAffairs).

In a career that spanned seven decades, Elliott Erwitt photographed Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and other icons, as well as everyday people living in Eastern Europe and the Jim Crow South. This hour, we’ll talk about one of the most significant photographers of the 20th Century with Jessica McDonald, who curated “Elliott Erwitt: Home Around the World,” currently on display at UT’s Harry Ransom Center.

One of the best things about living in Texas is the food. This hour, we’ll talk specifically about Tex-Mex with two experts: Mando Rayo, co-author of “The Tacos of Texas” (UT Press) and Sylvia Casares, author of “The Enchilada Queen Cookbook: Enchiladas, Fajitas, Tamales, and More Classic Recipes from Texas-Mexico Border Kitchens” (St. Martin’s Press). Both authors will talk about their books this weekend at the Texas Book Festival.

As Texas Secretary of State, Carlos Cascos also serves as the state’s Chief Election Officer. This hour, we’ll talk with him about the steps Texas takes to ensure a clean election – and about what happens if voter fraud is suspected.

A week from today, we’ll know if the country will be led by the first President Trump or the second President Clinton. This hour, we’ll talk about the messages that candidates are getting out to voters – and about whether Texas might actually be up for grabs – with UT Austin political scientists Juliet Hooker and Eric McDaniel.

Each year the Texas Lyceum commissions a survey to get a better understanding of how people across the state think about the issues of the day. This hour, we’ll walk through what Texans think about immigration, the Affordable Care Act, voter ID laws and other hot topics with Texas Lyceum president Dave Shaw and Daron Shaw, who conducted this year’s poll.

America’s racial unrest has manifested itself this year in everything from #OscarsSoWhite to Black Lives Matter. This hour, we’ll talk about where we go from here with Jeff Chang, executive director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University. He’ll visit the Texas Book Festival this weekend to talk about his new book, “We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation” (Picador).